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Vizio TVs are now the best-selling LCD brand in U.S.
May 8th, 2009, 9:44 am · 23 Comments · posted by Tamara Chuang, a.k.a. The Gadgetress
UPDATE, 11 p.m. May 8, 2009: Added revised chart with corrected Vizio market share from iSuppli.
From the wee punk it was back as a 2002 startup to being named the top-selling LCD TV brand in the U.S., Irvine’s Vizio Inc. has obviously come a long way. And fast.
ISuppli Corp., a market researcher, said that Vizio is now number one because consumers are looking for cheaper options. Vizio now makes up 21.6 percent of LCD TVs shipped in the first quarter of 2009, up from 13.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008.
In getting to the top, Vizio passed Samsung, Sony, LG Electronics and Sharp. See chart below, as provided by iSuppli.
“Due to its aggressive pricing, Vizio for some time has maintained its position as the North America’s top-selling LCD-TV value brand,” said Riddhi Patel, principal analyst, television systems, for iSuppli, in a news release. “However, since the onset of the economic downturn, Vizio’s share has risen dramatically. With budgets becoming increasingly tight, consumers are finding the company’s inexpensive sets more alluring.”
(Note: iSuppli corrected the figures, as of late May 8. I’ve pasted the new chart on top. The older one, with the red X, is there for comparison. Major whoops on iSuppli’s part. Vizio’s older numbers were much lower than in reality.)
Vizio has managed to keep its prices low, despite competition from other upstart brands and even the big names. According to iSuppli, Vizio’s lowest-priced TV was a 42-inch HDTV for $850. A comparable TV from Samsung was $1,000, while Sony’s was $1,090.
By getting into stores like Costco and Wal-Mart, Vizio has put its products in places where people are buying.
Because of its success, Vizio says it’s even been targeted by questionable digital TV patent holders demanding royalities that up the price of every TV by $30 (see “Vizio TVs could be $30 cheaper.”) Vizio’s fighting back.
For the industry, LCD TV shipments were 6.3 million in North America during the first quarter, up 10.5 percent from the prior year. The growth, Patel said, indicates that LCD-TVs remain strong despite the depressing economy that has caused other consumer electronics to falter.
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Good for Vizio!
Dare I ask where they’re made?
Please don’t say China.
I bought a Vizio from Costco a year ago. The HD quality was fine. However, the non-HD quality sucked big time. Maybe it had something to do with non-HD software rendering technology, I don’t know. I took it back and bought another Sony from Costco.
These guys are doing well because consumers in general are to dumb or to lazy to educate themselves when purchasing a new TV. In the old days it was all about screen size & how large you wanted to go. These days it’s far more complex you must know about the color gamut, banding, pixelation, etc. These things make a HUGE difference when buying a new TV. Vizio makes mid range to low end sets & consumers just eat that up. I would much rather purchase a Samsung, Sony Bravado, or Sharp over Vizio any day of the week.
When you buy a new LCD, you typically make a choice side-by-side with the competition. No store I know of just sells one brand. So consumers are hardly making a decision with no evaluation. Most consumers don’t know anything about color gamut (?) or pixelation, and don’t care. They look at the picture in the store, and the picture of the other screens being displayed, consider the cost, and make their decision.
Your statement is one of arrogance, and demeans the decision making process of most consumers. Sony has seen their sales decline because they have the highest price point. Consumers won’t tolerate that anymore without substantial justification, and those brands that can’t provide quality with economy may no longer exist.
My boyfriend bought this television for me for Christmas and it three short days it went black- no picture again. The screen would turn on but no picture. Costco mentioned this was a problem with Vizio and to stay clear. I have a Phillips now and I LOVE IT!
Cheap? Yes…quality? not at all. Fits in with the public that wants a gigantic display for cheap though – most are pretty stupid.
Vizio ROCKS!!!! Forget Samsung or Sony…..You are just paying for the brand name. Why would you want to spend an extra $200 on a tv when you don’t have too. Walmart will always have my business..great prices and a good selection of tv’s.
Sorry Lonnie you need to start educating yourself on Plasma & LCD technology. Your spending more not just on a better name but a better piece of glass & the technology.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/
Great place to research your next TV
Congrats to Vizio. They defintely don’t make the best TV out there but they know what is important to consumers – price. Pioneer makes the best TV out there but because the price was high, they were forced to leave the plasma TV market next year.
Best selling brand only because they offer TVs at a lower cost than most others of the same size. However, they just don’t compare with other major brands when it comes to quality and performance. They’re basically the poor man’s LCD TV.
I appreciate the comments here. Was considering a Vizio for purchase. Nothing beats the web and actual customer reviews — helps in wise spending and keeps indusrty honest. Thanks.
Irving, check out this site for great information also Google Robert Herring of DL.TV he is a master of TV information.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=166
Very cool Cliff. Thanks.
Yeah, it’s just like any other consumer product out there. There’s always a niche market for lower cost products, just like there is for the high-end stuff.
Samsung is the best quality if you willing to pay for it and picky like me. Be sure to get 120mhz if you want the smoothest high speed frames, and always 1080p. If you are not that picky, then other brands and 720p will suit you just fine.
P.S. Don’t forget to rewind your VHS tapes if you don’t have a HD TV yet.
Garbage quality for trashy people, that is the Wal-Mart way!
Only 2 out of “16″ comments show? Weird. Anyhow, 120hz interlacing is total BS, still looks awful.
Vizio is like Mike says, for the Walmart crowd.
Sounds like Mike Man has a bad atitude due to his upcoming operation to have the stick removed from his butt. Vizio has great quality televisions. My last two Sony sets with WOW sound, each barely made it to two years. One just kept shutting itself off while you were watching it and the other had it’s electronic eye for the remote go dead. No more Sonys for me.
Vizio is crap. I had one for about a year. Went to Sony. 1000 times better!
Well, in Mike’s defense, 90% of Sony’s displays are craptastic too.
I have a Vizio and I am happy with it. It was a great value and I could not justify that for the same amount of money, for another brand, I would end up with a much smaller TV with less features.
Yeah, maybe the contrast ration its not king of the hill, but its good enough as a second TV used for cartoons and video games.
my vizio that i returned to costco had ok picture quality but terrible audio.
nothing compares to samsung, it is the best.
Sounds like Mike is in a lot of pain! I see more Vizio tvs than sonys out there! the quality of vizio is a lot better than sony! 1080p… please! majority of shows on t.v are shown in 720p! although everyone has there own preference for tvs, vizio is the way to go! i have a samsung… love it… just bought a 42 inch vizio from sams club! picture quality is excellent!